


"Caught In A Storm"

by AspiringAuthor29



Series: Bad Things Happen To Spencer Reid Bingo [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Abused/Neglected Spencer, And thunderstorms, Derek holds him, Gen, Only alluded though, Protective Derek Morgan, Sick Spencer Reid, Spencer is scared of the dark, Spencer is slightly delusional, Spencer is touch-starved, can be read platonic or slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AspiringAuthor29/pseuds/AspiringAuthor29
Summary: When Reid and Morgan chase a suspect through the woods, they end up getting lost. With a feverish genius who's scared of thunder and the dark and a storm brewing in the sky, it's up to Morgan to console the boy. Although, he may learn a thing or two about the genius' childhood that is less than ideal.
Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid
Series: Bad Things Happen To Spencer Reid Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2003854
Comments: 5
Kudos: 180





	"Caught In A Storm"

**Author's Note:**

> I really do believe that Reid being neglected, even abused, is canon. The series never comes right out and says it, but just judging by the way Reid and William interact, it isn't hard to tell. Warnings for mentions of abuse if that bothers you. Anyway, enjoy.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Reid demanded meekly. He had his arms wrapped around his thin frame in what seemed to be an attempt to both soothe himself and to conserve body heat. Even in the pitch-black night, Morgan could feel the soft tremors wracking his body.

"I…God, I don't know!" Morgan finally cried. They had been walking around the woods for hours and they hadn't found anything but trees, trees, and more trees.

They were working a case where their Unsub had been profiled as a sociopath with a severe case of dissociative identity disorder. They had profiled that when it came down to it and the Unsub felt cornered, he would run. Their Unsub had been raised a boy scout and an avid hunter, so he knew these woods better than any other local in the small, rural town.

So, as soon as Morgan and Reid had shown up at the place he was keeping his victims, their Unsub had taken off into the woods, forcing the two agents to pursue him. Morgan felt like they had run for hours himself, so he really did have to give the kid some credit for being able to keep up. Of course, only after they had been chasing this guy around for a good hour did Hotch finally break over their earpieces and inform them that the rest of the team had apprehended the guy.

By that time, however, they were already deep into unfamiliar territory. Reid had been too focused on not tripping over his own feet and faceplanting to memorize places they had already passed, and Morgan didn't have an eidetic memory. It didn't exactly help that both of their earpieces had died and neither of them had cell service.

"It's getting dark out," Reid said quietly, almost so quietly that it came out as a whimper.

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out, Sherlock," Morgan said sarcastically. He didn't mean for it to be mean, though once he realized what he had said he immediately wanted to take it back. He was worried and tired, and Reid was right, it was getting dark out. Not to mention the fact that the dusk sky had an angry appearance and Morgan just knew that it was there luck they would get caught in a thunderstorm.

Reid being Reid, ducked his head and withdrew into himself, afraid of saying anything else that would upset Morgan. The genius wasn't usually like that, though he did have some major self-esteem issues thanks to years of bullying, but he was acting unusually quiet. Morgan, who had roomed with the kid, knew it had something to do with the boy's red cheeks and fine shivers. Add that to the way he kept rubbing his head as if he had a migraine and it wasn't hard to tell that he didn't feel well, hadn't felt well the entire day.

"Sorry, kid," Morgan mumbled, though he now felt like a total jerk. He knew all about the kid's fear of the dark and he had his suspicions when it came to him being afraid of thunder, and he had completely forgotten about it. Spencer didn't need to tell him, but he could tell that the genius' father had something to do with it and his self-esteem.

"Really, I didn't mean it. Just…just stick close, okay?" he said, trying to soften his voice to get the other to understand he wasn't angry with him. He was also trying not to embarrass him by suggesting he couldn't take care of himself, because he knew how well that would go. He waited a moment for Reid to catch up with him before he turned and squinted into the darkening woods.

"We should really get some shelter. It's gonna pour and I really don't want to be caught in it. We'll just have to wait for help to come to us."

Reid nodded slowly, as if it took a moment for his usually blindingly fast brain to command his head to do so. "There's a cave he mumbled," pointing weakly in the direction they had just came from.

Figuring they really didn't have much of a choice, Morgan started off towards the dark outline in the cliff face behind them. The dark-skinned agent knew exactly what Reid was talking about. His profiler's brain had unconsciously catalogued it as information he made need in the future, and it turned out to be right. Though, calling it a cave might have been a bit generous, an indent in the rock was much more accurate.

Right then, of course, the sky decided to let lose a bone-rattling crash of thunder followed closely behind by a bright flash of lightning that streaked the sky in barely a second. It startled Morgan who, although tired, was completely there mentally, so he could only imagine how Reid felt when the poor kid practically jumped out of his clothes and scrambled to get closer to Morgan.

Now standing shoulder to shoulder with him, Morgan could feel the feverish heat radiating off of him through their layers of clothing, yet somehow, Reid was shivering so violently Morgan could hear his teeth chattering. With a sigh, Morgan shed his FBI windbreaker and draped it across the kid's shoulders, even though he was already wearing one of his own.

"N-no," Reid stuttered, trying to weakly pull it off and shove it back at Morgan, "Y-you need it. I-I'll b-be fine."

"Just shut up and keep it on," Morgan said with no malice in his voice, before once again beginning to head towards their new home for the night. Reid, in a display of just how horrible he really felt, stopped fighting, and just slowly trudged after the older agent.

When both finally made it to the little indent, Morgan skillfully began to dig some of the damp leaves away and create a little hole for them that was semi-dry before the rain really picked up, since it was already drizzling miserably. Spencer just stood off to the side the entire time, shivering and chattering his teeth, pale hands gripping on to Morgan's windbreaker as if it were his lifeline.

"Alright, that's about as good as it's going to get," Morgan said after about ten minutes. He had managed to produce them a relatively large area of ground that wasn't completely covered in soggy leaves, and not a moment too soon either, because right then the rain began to pour down on them as another thundering boom sounded followed by a streak of white lightning.

Morgan stepped into the space and turned around, waiting expectantly for Reid to follow him in, but he could tell right away that something was wrong. Reid was swaying back and forth as if his legs were contemplating giving out and he was just staring blankly off into space, not even concerned about the buckets of water drenching him. Morgan quickly stood, and taking hold of his wrist, pulled the skinny genius into the dryer area before he made himself any sicker than he already was.

"Reid," Morgan called out, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of the other agent. Spencer's eyes were glassy with fever, a sure sign that he wasn't at all there mentally.

"Reid!" Morgan called out a little louder, reaching out to carefully touch his arm. When their skin made contact, Reid jumped almost as violently as he had when the first calp of thunder had sounded. His eyes were impossibly wide as they flicked around wildly, almost as if they were expecting some sort of threat.

"Hey, hey, it's just me, kid. Come sit down before you keel over," Morgan said softly. Reid, who nodded almost robotically, sat down beside Morgan and all but slumped over against the side of their shelter. All of the adrenaline he had been using to hide his illness and keep himself going all day seeping out of him and turning all of his muscles to jelly and completely erasing his motor skills.

"How ya feeling?" Morgan inquired after a few moments of them just sitting in silence, listening to the roar of the wind and the rain smashing into the rock above them. If they were going to be spending the night out there, Morgan wanted to at least talk a little bit.

Reid just shrugged, but the shiver that chose that moment to wrack his body told Morgan exactly how he was feeling. With a sigh, he did that a lot when it came to the genius, Morgan scooted over and pulled Reid's head down to his lap. While he initially cried out in surprise, Reid didn't seem to fight him, speaking volumes to his current condition.

"Maybe if you weren't leaning against the cold rock, then you wouldn't be shivering so badly," Morgan suggested with a wry grin. Obviously, he knew Reid would continue to shiver whether he was leaning up against cold rock or not, but frankly, Morgan felt some comfort in their situation at the weight of Reid's head in his lap.

Another bone-rattling clap of thunder shattered their moment of comfort when Reid whimpered pitifully and white-knuckle gripped Morgan's shirt. The sound itself broke Morgan's heart. He knew the kid would never in a million years make that sort of sound if he wasn't in such a vulnerable state of mind. Morgan did the best thing he could in that moment; he placed his own hand over Reid's stiff one and rubbed his thumb in a soothing motion back and forth across his knuckles.

"I-it's too d-dark," he whimpered, burying his face into Morgan's chest. Morgan couldn't believe the heat coming off of him; no wonder the genius was so out of it and uncharacteristically clingy.

"It's okay, Reid, I'm right here," Morgan soothed. This wasn't his first rodeo when it came to dealing with the fear of the dark. His little sister Desiree had gone through a stint where she had been petrified of the dark and he had comforted the doctor multiple times, especially when he had been younger. Reid cried softly and Morgan brushed a lock of wet hair off his forehead. All he wanted to do was get the kid home and some good Tylenol into him.

"Dad locked the door," he muttered mournfully. Suddenly very confused, Morgan cocked an eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"Dad turned the lights off and locked the door. I didn't like it when he did that," Reid elaborated, though Morgan was still left in a state of confusion. Reid was still clearly not with it, though since he had laid down and Morgan had helped him to calm down, some of the haze from the fever had disappeared from his eyes.

"Nobody is going to do that anymore," Morgan whispered softly, not trying to rile him up anymore than need be. A broken sob escaped the doctor's lips as he clung on to Morgan's shirt even tighter than he previously had been.

"M-mom didn't even n-notice," he whimpered. Morgan hated what Reid had to go through as a kid. He couldn't imagine what it was like to have a mom who didn't even know who you were half of the time. Reid was so sweet and kind, but he was also so neglected and touch starved.

Morgan gently stroked his hair, hoping that the boy wouldn't remember this whole experience, not only so he wouldn't be embarrassed, but also so Morgan could keep his reputation as a tough, lady's man. Not that he cared if people knew he loved the kid, it was so obvious he did, but Garcia would never let him live it down.

"Shh, it's okay. She loved you, Reid, she just couldn't show it like most moms," he whispered.

Reid buried his face into Morgan's shirt and cried quietly, which was already wet from the rain blowing into their shelter and the kid's hair. The entire time, Morgan held him and cooed soft, comforting things into his ear. In all honesty, he had never seen the genius in that state before. The kid was undoubtedly the bravest person he knew and to see him a vulnerable, sobbing mess was unnerving. Even so, he deserved comfort as much as anyone else, especially since he was so brave. He kept all of his fears bottled up and when he broke, he really needed someone to just hold him.

"I'm sorry," Reid whispered finally after over twenty minutes of nothing but crying and otherwise silence.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Morgan tried to appease him, knowing that Reid always thought he needed to be strong and never breakdown in front of anyone.

"I-I should be better. That's why dad left," he whispered, so softly that Morgan was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear that last part. It took all of Morgan's self-control to quell the boiling rage that he felt. Even though he was almost certain that last part wasn't meant for him, he couldn't, _wouldn't_ let his Pretty Boy talk about himself like that.

"No, no, no, none of that. You're perfect just the way you are, Spencer. You're the strongest person I know, but it's okay to cry every once in a while. You're only human and humans need to just let it out sometimes. Your dad is the one that should be better if he was too stupid to realize that he was leaving the best thing he would ever get in his life behind," Morgan said firmly.

Reid stared up at him with pure adoration in his eyes, though those same eyes were still fairly glassy from his fever. "You really think I'm the best thing he would get in his life?" Reid asked with so much disbelief in his voice that Morgan wanted to cry, wanted to beat the Hell out of William Reid for helping to make Reid's self-deprecating tendencies the way they were.

"Of course, Pretty Boy, you're…you're one of the best things that's happened to me." It was true. Since Buford, he had never quite felt whole. He had trouble trusting people and letting them get close enough to him to actually form any sort of relationship. That had all changed the day the innocent, 22-year-old skinny genius who talked too much and drank way too much coffee than was healthy for someone his age rolled into the BAU, all fidgeting hands and nervous energy.

Initially, Morgan had had a severe distaste for the little know-it-all "doctor" who Gideon talked about as if he were the god of knowledge himself. But, not long after Reid had started in the field, Morgan began to see him in a new light. The annoying kid, because that's all he really was among the stiff, suit-wearing, gun-wielding, experienced agents, turned out to not really be an annoying kid after all. He was actually very sweet and had a heart even bigger than his brain.

Soon, his original distaste had turned into a sort of tolerance when he figured out that the kid maybe wasn't so bad. Then, that tolerance had turned into a solid partnership, one where Morgan trusted Reid to have his back if need be, but it wasn't like they spent any time outside of work together. It wasn't long before the partnership became a friendship and even less time before that friendship became a best friendship and a brotherhood all rolled into one. Reid became one of the first people in a very long time that Morgan truly let into his heart and let himself care about.

"Are we best friends?" Reid asked so innocently that he sounded something like a schoolchild might sound when asking a classmate the same question out on the playground. It was so surprising in fact, that Morgan chuckled in spite of himself.

"Yeah Reid, we're best friends."

A huge rumbled of thunder shook the sky and Reid attempted to curl even further into Morgan, as if that were possible in their current positions. Morgan held him close until the initial shock passed and then released him in order to get a good look at his obviously exhausted face.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep? It's going to be a while before this storm lets up and the rest of the team can find us. I'll keep watch."

Slowly, Reid nodded, but his eyes were already partially closed as he nestled into Morgan at a more comfortable position for both of them. Within minutes, the doctor's breathing evened out and Morgan knew he was sound asleep. That was okay. Morgan knew that he needed his rest, and the elder agent was perfectly content to keep watch over the younger of them until help came, even with the storm raging outside. And that's what he did.

He kept watch over one of his favorite people in the entire world throughout the storm, both literally and metaphorically.


End file.
